An American and the Metric System


levism84

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This might seem like an odd request, coming from an American who struggles with the metric system... please, keep the metric system. Don't even give people like me who grew up in America, learning pounds and Fahrenheit, a cheat sheet. We need more games that reinforce the metric system in American minds.

That is all.

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Moonpic

I would love to see NASA do the math involved in moonlanding with imperial system. Not a single rocket would leave the launchpad in one piece. Back then a lot of the math was done by pen and paper, and not with computers.

http://www.ofb.net/~jlm/oracle/oracle.365.10

Hilarious "boxing match" between metric and the imperial system.

} Round 2: "DONG"

}

} Imperial comes out and slips in a gentle offense:

}

} How many grams in a kilogram?

}

} Metric defends:

}

} 1000

}

} "Playground stuff there Bob."

}

} "Yeah Bill"

}

} Metric goes for the kill:

}

} How many grains in an ounce?

}

} "Uh oh. I think this is it Bob."

}

} Imperial stutters:

}

} uuuhhhhmmmmmmm. Which system?

}

} "Oh Bill, he's answered with a question. That's not following the

} spirit of the game!"

}

} Metric replies:

}

} All three.

}

} "Curtains Bill. I'm sure."

}

} Imperial responds:

}

} Well in Avoirdupois its 437.5, in Apothecary its 480 and the other

} one is... What other one?

}

} Metric jabs:

}

} You tell me.

}

} Imperial falls to the floor.

}

} 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

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Wow, nice to read this topic. Never understand why and how can you use imperial system, but I thought you are pretty proud of it, like everything else! ;)

Nice to read that's not the point, actually.

For me, the Imperial System only makes sense because I have an intuitive understanding of what an inch or foot is, or how heavy a pound is. That is because I was born and raised with it.

The Metric System, on the other hand, is clearer and makes more sense to me as a theory. I have yet to become intuitive enough with the Metric System to feel completely comfortable using it. However, I hope this game will help.

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For me, the Imperial System only makes sense because I have an intuitive understanding of what an inch or foot is, or how heavy a pound is. That is because I was born and raised with it.

The Metric System, on the other hand, is clearer and makes more sense to me as a theory. I have yet to become intuitive enough with the Metric System to feel completely comfortable using it. However, I hope this game will help.

Sure thing. If I was born there, I would feel the same way as you, ofc.

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As an American I can tell you most people and industries understand the metric system is vastly superior. The issue isn't with pride, the issue is with complacency and laziness. If anything that requires effort in our society, it seems like we spend 10 times the effort to avoid doing it. Just look at our national debt for God's sake. "Why reduce spending and actually pay this off? We'll just extend our credit yet again."

Sadly we don't look long term at anything. We are stuck in a short termed survival mentality of 2, 4, and 6 years.

I still don't understand why milk is in gallons but soda is in liters... pfft.. dairy farmers. I blame them and Mr. Rogers, mainly the cow molesters though.

Another thing that I never understood is why the UK uses MPH since that is something the goverment would control directly.

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As you can read in this article, it is very important for America to switch over to the metric system. Btw. the USA, Myanmar and Liberia are the only contries who did not use it.

I was going to say--I hadn't heard of Myanmar and Liberia getting to the moon, when did that happen?!

I may be from the US, but I've only been playing the game in the metric system. It even makes for a nice educational experience, for all that I have to keep reminding myself that kilograms are larger and liters are smaller than I expect for what constitutes a standard unit of measure. Or as we calls 'em, "quarts" and "doublepounds."

Keeping track of your in-game, aha, biometrics is certainly easier on the metric system, though. A liter of water is a kg of weight, you freeze at 0 degrees or below and are fine above, etc. It certainly fits more neatly into the structure of gamification-representing-reality... (if that's how I need to contextualize a system that actually does make more sense)

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